OUR MISSION
NYAGV’s mission is to reduce gun violence
through legislative advocacy and education designed to encourage action, influence public opinion and lead to policy change. With a primary focus on New York State, NYAGV also advocates at the local and national levels for laws, policies and practices that protect New York State residents, particularly youth, from gun violence. NYAGV was established in 1993 by Brooklyn mothers galvanized by the senseless shooting death of a teacher in Prospect Park. We are a nonprofit organization with 501(c) (4) tax status.
NYAGV’s History
Since 1993, NYAGV has lobbied and organized to promote safer communities, more responsible business practices and stronger gun laws. Here are some highlights.
NYAGV is founded by Brooklyn parents dismayed by the shooting of a local teacher in Prospect Park in June. The Long Island Railroad shooting in December sparks a new wave of activism, and the beginning of our Long Island chapter.
The founders of NYAGV organize the Silent March, placing thousands of shoes at the U.S. Capitol to represent victims of gun violence.
NYAGV Education Fund launches to educate New Yorkers about solutions to gun violence.
NYAGV begins expanding our statewide presence, starting a local group in Westchester County and eventually growing to the Capitol Region and Buffalo, in addition to our Long Island chapter.
NYAGV begins holding annual Lobby Days in Albany with participants from around the state; eventually our efforts included advocacy trips to Washington, D.C.
NYAGV helps organize hundreds of New Yorkers to attend the Million Mom March Washington, D.C. in May. Later that summer, Republican Governor George Pataki, at the urging of NYAGV activists, signs into law the strictest gun violence prevention measures in the country.
Over the course of several years, NYAGV helps pass critical gun safety legislation at the local level, including a package of New York City gun laws and safe storage/child access prevention laws in municipalities throughout the state, including Albany, Beacon, Buffalo, Philipstown, Rochester, Syracuse, Saratoga Springs, and Westchester County.
NYAGV holds its first youth-focused Advocacy Day in Albany, a tradition that has continued ever since.
NYAGV is a founding member of the New York City Council Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive community-based response to gun violence, including the creation of the city’s innovative Crisis Management System.
After years of advocacy by NYAGV and in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, New York passes the New York SAFE Act, a landmark package of gun safety laws that continue to serve as a model for other states around the country.
Black and Brown students establish Youth Over Guns after the Parkland, Fla., shooting. The group’s goal is to highlight gun violence in marginalized communities. Soon after, YOG merges with NYAGV.
NYAGV successfully lobbied for a slate of gun laws, including the creation of an Extreme Risk Protection Order, a Child Access Prevention law and many more. Learn more about NY State’s gun laws.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NYAGV finds #PowerInPlace, lobbying state, federal and local lawmakers remotely. Learn more about our current legislative priorities.